Telephone calls are the primary mechanism for people to communicate with each other by voice when located remotely from each other. The process of initiating a telephone call involves inputting a telephone number associated with the receiving telephone line into the initiating telephone. Commonly this is referred to as dialing the telephone number, though any number of mechanisms may actually be used to enter the destination telephone number. More recently, telephones have also been provided with the ability to generate and send electronic messages such as text messages and electronic mail. Such devices have also been provided with computer processing units that permit them to launch and execute other applications.
The act of sending an electronic message from a telephone consists of entering a sequence of destination telephone numbers or destination email addresses, composing the electronic message, and sending it. The electronic message may include text, image, voice recording, video recording or other contents. Telephone calls are well suited for two-way voice communication. Electronic messages are well suited for one way communication, and the broadcasting of information to several recipients at once.
Conveying information via a telephone call takes a relatively long time, and is prone to interruptions. Before users can start conveying their message, they have to wait for the destination party to receive the call. After the call is received, various factors can cause the call to be interrupted before the entire message is conveyed. When an interruption occurs, and the call is disconnected, users have to repeat the process of making a telephone call and waiting for the destination party to receive the call before they can complete conveying their message. In comparison, sending an electronic message may require a relatively short time because there is no need to wait for the destination party to receive the call, and because once it is sent, it is less prone to interruption. It also provides a relatively permanent record of the information that is being conveyed.
In the event of an emergency, many telephone users will immediately make a call to request emergency services. In the United States, this is done by making a telephone call to 911. However, the inherent limitations involved with making a telephone call may limit the effectiveness of this action. Users must wait for the 911 operator to accept the call before they can convey their emergency situation and request help. Various factors may cause the call to be interrupted before the user can convey all of the information needed by the 911 operator to provide necessary help. If the telephone user is in a situation where they are unable to speak or where it will be dangerous to make noise, it can be difficult for the 911 operator to comprehend the user and to send the emergency services to the correct location.
In addition to emergency situations, there are other instances where it is desirable for third parties to be aware that the telephone user has placed a telephone call to a particular destination telephone number. For example, parents may wish to know when their children have made a telephone call to particular numbers, as well as the physical location of the child when they made the telephone call. Similar concerns may exist for businesses monitoring the activity of employees using telephones.
These difficulties and others are at least partially overcome or improved upon by the present invention. The examples mentioned in this section are not exhaustive of the problems overcome by the present invention and there may be additional benefits and uses for the invention that will be apparent in light of the following description of the invention.